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Saturday, May 21, 2011

IPL playoffs explained

Once the top 4 qualifiers for the playoffs are determined; how many games does it take to crown a winner.

3 is reasonable answer. But if its the IPL we are talking about; and indeed we are; then the answer is more like 6 games spread over 7 days.

Here is how it will work.

Game #1: Potential Eliminator-Qualifier. In plain English, its is a game that allows the teams to qualify for the right be eliminated in a future game meant to eliminate. In this game the top 2 teams the Chennai Super Kings and the Royal Challengers from Bangalore will be given a chance to lose, hopefully not deliberately, and qualify for Game #4 - The Eliminator

Game #2: Potential Qualifier-Qualifier. In this game the bottom 2 teams from the teams that have made the playoffs; the Mumbai Indians and the Knight Riders from Calcutta will be given a chance to win, hopefully intentionally, and qualify for Game #3 - The Qualifier

These 2 games above are obviously full of potential and as with anything with potential there is a risk that none of it will materialize in which case the games will be relabeled an 'Exercise-In-Futility-1' and 'Exercise-In-Futility-2', respectively

Game #3: Qualifier. Will be played between the team that fails to qualify for 'The Eliminator' game (from Game #1 above) and winner of game the 'Potential Eliminator-Qualifier' and there is a good chance that this will be a repeat of Game #1

Game #4: Eliminator. Will be played between the team that qualified to be eliminated from Game #1 and the team from Game #2 that did not qualify for the Qualifier game and in all likelihood this will be a repeat of Game #2.

At this point one team will be eliminated.

We hope.

Game #5: Qualifier II- The Mystery Continues. The team that was initially given a chance to eliminate it self but could not do so...remember the Eliminator game... yes Game #4, will be given another chance to get their act right and get eliminated. The is also a game that gives the team from the Qualifier game to repeat their failures from that game.